Students don’t need to waste time going nowhere on a treadmill when a much more fun method of exercise is available. All that’s needed is a bike.
Despite the heat, cycling is a popular hobby in the Tampa Bay area. It is accessible as well, with at least four mixed-use trails within an hour drive of campus, and numerous trails on the grounds of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The South Bay trail signs near the northern part of campus mark some of these trails, as do the hordes of semi-professional cyclists enjoying this route on Sixth Avenue in the late afternoon.
The crown jewel of cycling in the county, though, is the famous Pinellas Trail. The Pinellas Trail offers 38 miles of mixed-use pathway. Its southern terminus is only a few short blocks away from campus, south of First Street. The trail follows the former Seaboard Air Line railway, offering users a unique perspective on Pinellas County’s terrain and history.
Part of the “Rails to Trails” program, the Pinellas Trail first opened in 1990 after six years of planning. When CSX consolidated their rail lines in the county, the western line—which ran through residential neighborhoods—was abandoned because it was not conducive to medium-volume freight transportation. When the first five-mile segment proved to be more popular than expected, the county enacted a sales tax that helped convert the remainder of the line into a mixed-use trail. The most recent segment, from 34th Street/US 19 to Demens Landing Park downtown, opened in 2008.
As a former railway, the entire trail maintains a level elevation save for a few road crossings, giving novices relief from the rigors of steep slopes. Additionally, it runs through many historic downtown districts, such as Gulfport, Clearwater, Dunedin, Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs.
Reminders of the glorious past are everywhere, from the old railway stations along the way, to freight depots, right-of-ways, grade crossing signals and rail-themed restaurants. On a short ride to the Gulf of Mexico and back on the trail, it’s not uncommon to see teenagers jumping into a creek from the trail’s bridge near Gulfport. There are remnants of factories the SCL freight trains once serviced, rails occasionally sticking up through the grass and old cemeteries from the distant past numbered among them. There is even an astronomical observatory that is open to the public.
The trail winds through Pinellas County, but also back in time.
